Desert Jewel
by Screaming Kittycat
Summary: Jewels are rare and hard to find but when you do you must cherish it and protect it from those who want to use it for selfish reasons. Atiya was a jewel to Ardeth, he would cherish and protect her from the vile mummy and all who would defile her. But she was an incredibly rare jewel who could take care of herself and all who cherished her.
1. The Desert Child

Abd Al-Malik Bay, the chieftain of the Medjai of the desert, though he was going on his usual trip to speak to Dr Bey, the curator of the Museum of Antiquities, about any information he may have on the Englishmen who came to Egypt to steal its riches and ruin its culture. He never would have thought that he would see a 3-year-old girl wandering the middle of the desert all by herself, and so far from any city too. She should have been a rotting corpse by now considering how treacherous the desert is and yet here she was, walking through the sand without a care in the world.

Deciding that staring in shock at the little girl was pointless, he rode his horse over to her with his companions following close behind. The little girl heard horses approaching and turned to stare at the beasts in awe as though she had never seen a horse before. " _Wahasha! Wahasha!"_ the girl spoke in fluent Arabic as the chief approached her.

On closer inspection, he saw that the girl was Egyptian-Arabic, just as he was. Her black hair was long and messy as if it has never been cut. Her tan skin was covered in sweat and sand though she didn't seem irritated by it. She looked like an ordinary child save for her golden coloured eyes, it was as if she had the sun in her eyes.

Seeming satisfied by his inspection, Abd jumped down from his horse and knelt before the small girl "Why are you here little one?" he asked in English, the girl blinked stared at him.

" _Ma'an_?" she asked as she pointed to his waterskin attached to his sash. Realising that the girl knew only Arabic, he gave her the pouch and waited for her to nearly drink it dry before gently taking it away from her.

" _Why are you here_?" he asked again, only this time it was in Arabic, the girl furrowed her brows and shrugged.

" _I not know…I wake, I here"_ her words were broken and savage, she seemed to know basic words and could not form full sentences.

" _You do not know how you got here?"_ she shook her head _"my name is Abd Al-Malik, what is yours?"_ perhaps with her name he could reunite her with her family, he was quite skilled in finding people by just a name.

Her furrowed brows soften as she frowned _"I not know…I wake…I here"_ she repeated her words and the chief finally understood what she meant, she woke up with no memory of anything but a few Arabic words. Abd felt immense pity for the small child and gave her a smile " _would you like to come with me, I can take care of you?"_

The girl looked so hopeful as a smile graced her thin yet sweet face, she probably has not eaten in quite some time. He will forever be amazed at how she has survived the harsh punishment the desert inflicts on all who cross it " _YA!I"_ Abd chuckled and picked the girl up, he placed her on the front of his horse and jumped on behind her.

" _We ride for home!_ " he yelled to his men as he nudged his horse to move, the men shouted as raced behind him. _"sleep little Atiya, you are safe?"_ the little girl didn't know what Atiya meant at that moment, but later she would find out it was her name.

* * *

When Abd Al-Malik came home to his wife Sadaf, she never would have thought he would come home with a little girl curled against his chest. _"What is this Abd? Why have you come home with a child?"_ she asked with a questioning glance, she preferred to speak Arabic at home as it was her native language, she would never submit to speaking in that foul westerner language.

 _"I found her wandering the desert, my love"_ he replied once he was fully inside their family tent, it was the largest as he was the Chieftain a father. _"please, prepare us a meal and warm water for her to bathe in."_ she nodded and rushed off to finish preparing her meal, her son, Ardeth, would be coming home any minute now. He was 5 years old and already started his training to become a Medjai. He would leave their tent early in the morning to attend his lesson and would come home late in the afternoon.

Once the food was ready she came back into the main section of the tent to see her husband showing the small girl how to sit at the table they have. _"This is how we sit when at the table."_

 _"It hurts knees"_ she muttered as she wiggled slightly in the hopes It would stop her knees from hurting, she sat cross-legged and judging by her scrunched up face it was the first time she ever sat like that.

The Chieftain noticed his wife walking in with a tray full of food and smiles at her, one full of undying love. " _Atiya, this is my wife, Sadaf, she has brought food for us."_

The girl looked up at the beautiful woman and smiled " _pretty"_ she said with a smile, Sadaf thought it was adorable.

 _"Here, little one, some food to warm your body,"_ she said as she placed the tray in front of the small girl who breathed in deeply at the delicious smelling aroma though she stayed still, probably waiting to be told if she can eat the food or not. _"Go on, feast, you must be starved"_ the girl nodded and began to grab some food and shoved it into her mouth. Abd grabbed just enough to fill his stomach but left the rest to the obviously starved girl.

Whilst she satisfied her hunger, Abd filled his wife on the situation little Atiya was in. The woman felt instant pity and the need to protect her. She did for all young children in need. " _Mother, I am home and I brought Rohak with me,"_ a young boy said as he entered the tent, Atiya immediately stopped eating at the new voice and turned to see him. The boy looked not that much older than her with thick black hair and tanned skin and intense eyes.

" _Hello, Sadaf,_ " a scruffy looking man said from behind the small boy, this man was strong and well built with thick, black hair braided down his back, a neatly trimmed beard and tattoos shown all over his body. _"oh? Who is this little one?"_ he asked when he noticed Atiya looking at him curiously.

 _"Hello Rohak, this is Atiiya"_ Abd replied as he stood to greet his son and longtime friend " _I found her wandering the desert a few days ago and have taken her into my care."_

 _"You found her in the desert you say?"_ Rohak asked in reply as he looked at Atiya in awe, her gaze was not firmly set on the boy who stared back at her. He liked how cute she looked, sitting there silently whilst staring at him, he wondered how she survived the desert all by herself.

 _"Yes, she has a strong spirit. Atiya, come here"_ Abd said to the small girl, she didn't respond to the name but when he motioned with his hand she came to his side _"Atiya this is my son, Ardeth"_

 _"I like," she said to the boy who blinked in surprise and looked at his father in question._

 _"Her words are simple and broken, do take her them to heart, it is how she shall communicate until she is taught otherwise"_ Ardeth nodded in understanding _"Why don't you sit with her and keep her company whilst I speak with your mentor"_ the boy nodded again and grabbed Atiya's hand, she smiled and followed him to the pillows set up near a wall. _"That should keep them distracted for now. I must admit Rohak, I do not know what to do with her"_ Abd said with a deep sigh.

 _"Let me take her"_ Rohak replied without hesitation.

 _"Rohak? Why would you take on such responsibility, you and your wife have no experience in raising a child?"_ Sadaf was honestly surprised by such an admission; the man was a strong man who was dedicated to the protection of Hamunaptra. Not once has he ever expressed a desire for a child.

Rohak sighed and looked at the small child who was now giggling at Ardeth who had taken to making funny faces at her, the boy liked the small girl laugh " _As you know, Nafisa cannot have children. I believe that this child would bring the life back into her eyes and a purpose to live. A child should never be without a mother."_

 _"Are you sure of this Rohak, a child is a big responsibility."_

 _"You have no room in this tent Abd, for now, she could share a room with Ardeth but then where would she go when she has grown, there would be no room for her here. No, I will take her so she will not suffer the same fate I had when my father abandoned my mother and I."_ Abd and Sadaf did not reply to his admission, it was a sore subject for the Medjai, it seems that he saw a little bit of himself in the small girl who was left in the desert. There was no way a child could get separated by her parents in a place so empty, there was no doubt that she was abandoned to die in the desert.

 _"Very well Rohak, she will become yours and Nafisa's responsibility, raise her well."_

And from then on, the little girl who was found in the desert became Atiya Saun.


	2. The Coming of Age

Little Atiya had grown so much over the many years she had stayed with the Medjai and its villagers. As promised, Rohak and Nafisa raised her to be a great young woman with strength and a pure heart.

She was 16 years of age, a time when girl become women and boys become men. Her becoming of age ceremony wasn't as important as a boy's ceremony thought it was important to her friends and family. A female's ceremony was quite similar to the boys, a woman would get a tattoo or as it is more commonly called, inscribing, that symbolises the profession they chose, healing, crafting, tailoring or the most important, protector. Seeing as the Medjai were tasked with protecting the ancient ruins of Egypt, it was the women that were tasked with protecting the village. They were few though as Medjai were still able to protect the village and do their duty but there were some women that still chose the path of the protector. Atiya was one such woman, she had to be as skilled as the boys who became a Medjai. The protector tattoo was the biggest a woman could get, it stretched across the entire shoulder blades and halfway down her back.

Atiya was to get her tattoo at dawn as it would take all day to complete, it was full of symbols, hieroglyphics you could say that speak of the history and culture of the Medjai clan. The desert child was pacing in front of her dear friend, Ardeth Bay, inside his tent. Ardeth was the son of the Chieftan and would take his place when his father deemed fit. "You worry too much Atiya, you will be fine."

Atiya huffed and rubbed her temples "but what if I succumb to the pain, I will shame my family and myself."

"You once broke your arm and barely even screamed because you were too worried about me as I had cut my leg" Ardeth stood from his seat on the ground and stopped Atiya's nervous pacing by grabbing her shoulders " as I said, you will be fine. Your family and I have faith in you."

Atiya chuckled and shook her head "I don't think I will ever get over my anxiety but thank you for comforting me" she looked up into his intense eyes that she has always been captivated by and smiled, he was the only one to calm her down. "I suppose I should head out now, and you need to get to your inscribing."

Both Atiya and Ardeth had had their birthdays last week but it was decided that their ceremonies should be on the same day so one would not be outdone by the other. A male's ceremony may have been more important than a females but the people themselves were equal. "yes, I suppose I should, at you do not get tattoos on her face."

"Yes, but perhaps I may get more on other visible places. Good luck, I know you will do well" they clasped their hands firmly before going to their respective tents.

* * *

After a gruelling 12 hours of endless pain, Atiya had completed her inscribing. She felt true relief as she stepped out of the tent and felt the cool night breeze softly touched her heated and irritated skin. Due to her back being tattooed, she had to wear a cloth that covered her chest and left her back bare, there were straps around her neck to keep it up and a small string that rested just below the tattoo so the cloth around her breasts would not reveal what lays underneath. Luckily, it was the usual clothing the desert people would wear when in their village. Since they had tents they could hide from the sun and did not need to wear the thick clothing the Medjai would wear when travelling. The downside to such an article of clothing is that at nights the desert is incredibly cold as if the sand had turned into snow, it was the closest the desert people would ever get to experience the season of winter.

Atiya was ushered by her mother Nafisa to the large fire where everyone would celebrate her and Ardeth's coming of age. She wondered if he had completed his inscribing, the face had to be the most painful place to get a tattoo and she was glad she didn't get hers there, though her spine was still incredibly painful to endure. "I am proud of you my child. When Rohak brought you into our lives I had seen the pride and joy you would bring to us."

"Thank you, Mama, I am glad I have made our family proud" she hugged her mother before heading to the pillow next to Ardeth, his face was slightly red due to the tattoo but other than that he was smiling. "Those tattoos look good on you," she said once she sat beside him, the pillows were situated at the front of the circle around the fire so all could look at them. Their ceremony was just one of the many that would happen throughout their lives, they were lucky to be blessed with bountiful food to celebrate with.

"I say the same Atiya" Ardeth replied after he leant back to look at the fresh ink stretched across her back. "How does it feel to finally be a woman?"

"Good, I feel my training with papa has paid off and I can become the warrior I have always wanted to be."

"Do not tell anyone I said this, but I heard that you may be chosen to be an informant in Cairo" Atiya turned to her long-time friend in surprise.

"Me? Be an informant? But I am a woman, no woman has been given this task before" she was confused yet intrigued.

"Many will overlook you when speaking of things, Terence Bey is a valued informant but he can only do so much, and it is hard for the Medjai to gather information due to how striking our appearance is" Ardeth replied as he motioned to his newly tattooed face "you may be able to greatly improve our chances of keeping the westerners away from Hamunaptra."

Atiya rubbed the back of her neck but winced when her calloused hands ran over the fresh tattoos "I suppose you are right, I have never been to Cairo before, is it as destroyed by western culture as I have heard?"

Ardeth nodded with a grim expression "yes, just like our tombs, they have defiled Cairo and have used our culture and history for entertainment and wealth, we are slowly losing our history."

"I fear Egypt will become nothing but a desecrated land, I hope one day we can stop the invaders from destroying all we have made."

"I agree"

"Hello everyone!" Abd shouted to the entire village that gathered around the large fire "it is with great pride that I announce that my son Ardeth and his dear friend Atiya have completed their inscribing's and have joined us in the world of adulthood" the village cheered for the two teenagers "it is no surprise that Atiya had flown through her training to become a woman much faster than any of her predecessors. She has made her family proud" another round of cheers erupted "please! Eat till your bellies are full and dance till the sun rises!" with his words, music began to play, people of all ages stood from the ground and gathered around the fire to dance and sing. Ardeth and Atiya remained sitting, their tattoos would hurt if they even thought of dancing.

"I wish my body would allow me to dance, it is my favourite pastime," Atiya said after she swallowed a large gulp of fermented mare's milk.

"There will be plenty more celebrations you can dance for, ours will merely have to be one of relaxation."

"I'm not a relaxed person, Ardeth. Though I suppose when I am around you there is an exception" she said cheekily as she nudged his shoulder with her elbow. He chuckled at her horrible flirting, though she was doing so in a joking matter, so he did not take it to heart.

"Hey Ardeth, Atiya! Congratulations!" the duo look up to see a burly teenager with many tattoos adorning his skin.

"Hamza, it is good to see you, my friend!" Ardeth said as both he and Atiya stood from their pillows to great their friend. Hamza was a year older than Ardeth and would become Ardeth's right-hand man when the Bay heir becomes the Chieftain.

"The tattoos suite you, my friends," he said with a huge grin "many of us are wanting to celebrate on our own tomorrow night if you would both join us?" he asked, referring to the young aged Medjai and females. Celebrating with family and adults is great but the celebration their friends have are always legendary and **always** get out of hand. They would not be able to celebrate in such a way when they finished training and were entirely focused on their profession.

Atiya smile turned into a grin "I certainly will join you, Ardeth?" she asked as she turned to him with a hopeful gaze.

"So long as we are careful so that our families will not know then I will certainly join" he was a rule follower but every known and again he would go against his father to enjoy life, and every time he would blame Atiya for it.

Hamza chuckled but nodded "of course, we would not be Medjai if we could not sneak away from our families."

"Where are we celebrating?" Atiya asked Hamza.

"At the lake so I suggest you bring a spare change of clothes" the duo nodded and continued to celebrate with Hamza and other friends throughout the night.


End file.
